Stand
''Stands'''' for a complete list of Stands'' The Stand '''is a supernatural power unique to ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure''. Generally, Stands defend and empower their users in a variety of ways, and when revealed may be represented by figures hovering near to them, among a variety of other manifestations. Stand Guidelines The concept of and rules governing Stands have been summarized in the manga on the cover page of Chapter 139, and in an update in the dedicated bonus chapter SBR Extra Chapter 3. * A Stand protects its user, like a guardian. The name comes from "standing by" the user, sometimes using their powers without direct orders in order to protect the user, and by extension, themselves. * A person can have only one Stand (though their Stand may evolve (e.g. Echoes) or have different forms which have different powers (e.g. Killer Queen or The Wall). * Stands can be inherited. * A Stand is part of its user, and damage is usually reflected between the two. Usually, if a Stand's leg is cut off, its user will lose their leg as well. Certain aspects of some Stands, such as the armor of Silver Chariot, are immune to this effect. If the Stand is not exactly humanoid, they may reflect damage to their user's body relative to the area of the Stand that was damaged, or are an exception. * Stands may only be seen by Stand users; the exception being Stands bound to physical objects (e.g. Strength; attached once to a boat, or Guns N' Roses, which attaches to firearms). * A Stand can only be directly damaged by another Stand. * A Stand's energy or power is inversely proportional to their operating range. The further a Stand is from its user, the weaker it becomes – Long-range Stands and/or Stands' long-range abilities are simpler in mechanism. * Stands are usually bound to their user's body, but exceptions abound; Wheel of Fortune being bound to a car, and The Fool being bound to sand. * When a Stand User dies, their Stand typically disappears with them; however, exceptions do exist, such asAnubis, who stayed in the sword he was bound to, and Stray Cat and Notorious B.I.G., who both only activated''after'' their User's death. * When a Stand is defeated, their user is either knocked unconscious or killed, depending on the level of injury. In Part 7: Steel Ball Run, Stand mechanisms change somewhat. They no longer commonly appear in battle (appearing mainly after they are indirectly invoked, e.g. Tusk): The user does the attacking instead. They also often appear less human or animal; and more of them seem conscious, occasionally even speaking to their users (e.g. Hey Ya!). The first Stands in the JoJo universe are named after the Major Arcana of the Tarot and Ancient Egyptian deities, and often openly attributed some similarity. Near the end of Part 3 and onwards, Stands are commonly named after western musical artists/aliases, bands, albums, and songs. It is interesting to note that Stands continue to retain an English name format very similar to the tarot Stands. Standology Defining Stands Stands are defined as personifications of "life energy" whose abilities are given visual form. A Stand can also represent the manifestation of an individual's innate "fighting spirit" and represents, to an extent, the individual's psyche. However, Stands may also derive through exploration of possibilities and expression of the mind, in which case, only a large amount of mental strength is required. Behavior Stands often hover behind and above the user while usually being invisible to non-Stand users. Most Stand Users can access the "senses" of their Stands, seeing and hearing whatever their Stands can. To people without the power of the Stand, who normally cannot see them, the activities of the Stands are comparable to ghostly and poltergeist activity, and ESP. This behavior is evidently seen when Jotaro Kujo imprisons himself, takes a gun from one of the guards, aims it at his head, and pulls the trigger. His Stand's hand caught the bullet before it reached his head. For the normal people around him, it would appear that the bullet was suspended in midair, and as a result, the other prisoners in his cell and even the guards feared Jotaro. Although Stands manifest themselves from the wielder's psyche, some abilities cannot be controlled and may even restrict the wielder (e.g, Super Fly). Those who gain Stands without these traits are subjected to negative and harmful influences due to the Stand turning on their user. These range from disease-like symptoms (as experienced by Holy Kujo) to the out-of-control Stand actively and knowledgeably trying to harm the unworthy user, even going as far as to attack them (as witnessed by Avdol). There also exist Harmful Stands that may or may not be a reflection of this. History of Stands The "Stands" in JoJo can be conceptualized as a deification of hidden talent, with their source being a sort of energy that's been in the Earth since ancient times. The oldest instance of a Stand User dates back to 16th century with the death of Caravan Serai and the emancipation of his Stand, Anubis. The exact cause or date of emergence of this phenomenon is unknown, but it may be related to the origin of the Arrows introduced within the original timeline. In most cases, Stand Users are either born with their Stands or with the potential to unlock one later in life. Without this potential, a person can not achieve a Stand through natural means. For those born with it, the trigger for unlocking one's Stand varies with the user, but is, as mentioned, usually derived through intense mental strength. As such, Stands abilities are typically unleashed during times of stress or conviction. Notable users who acquired a Stand through natural means include Noriaki Kakyoin, Muhammad Avdol, Tonio Trussardi, and Kenzou. Appearance Classification Stands can be divided into 5 categories based on their appearance. Limitations Firing Range Stands in principle can only be used within a predetermined range centering around the Stand's owner. As such, for the sake of convenience, the range that a Stand can perform tasks is referred to as "Firing Range." A Stand's range and accuracy are inversely proportional; the further the Stand moves away from it's firing range, the less power it has. This principle is applied to almost all Stands. Furthermore, this can be construed more specifically as "effective" firing range, as a Stand will only gradually lose power the further it deviates from it's firing range, rather than just relinquish immediately. The Stand range is effectively just the range where it can effectively perform. From a general point of view, all Stands can be roughly divided into two types: "Short distance", and "long distance". As a trend, short-range types display great power, many of which excel at direct blows or destruction (Silver Chariot, Crazy Diamond, Sticky Fingers, etc), and are often referred to a "Power Types". Long-range types typically have a special ability that can let them indirectly attack. (Hierophant Green, Echoes ACT1, Beach Boy, etc.) Some long-distance types are referred to as "Automatic Pilot", in which the "power vs distance from user" principle does not apply. This is exactly what is touched upon in the third stand theorem, in that autopilot types are typically an extension of an "effect" that results in a Stand triggering. As such these Stands are independent of the Stand User's will and mental strength, and their power does not drop as a result. As a related note, certain Stand abilities do not have specified ranges (Earth, Wind and Fire), an example being time-based powers, such as The World or King Crimson.6 Ability Types Each Stand is unique, but many share enough characteristics that they may be grouped under specific Stand Types. Very uncommon Stands are called Special Stands. There is three canonical types in Jojo's Bizarre Adventure that plays on the balance between Power, Range and Accuracy. '''Close-Range Power Type Stands are known for being able to inflict powerful attacks or deal close-range effects, with destructive power and speed normally ranking between A-C. However, they are only able to move small distances from their users and/or have short-range attacks or effect radius. These Stands will generally obey their users' will. Long Distance Manipulate Type follow their users' will and are capable of long-range movement. These Stands normally have ranged attacks and/or attack from far distances, which is why most Stands of this type are typically ranked A in range. On the other hand, they generally sport lower Destructive Power compared to Close-Range Stands. Far Distance Autopilot Type are Stands that act on their own. They follow a simple objective without being directly ordered by their Users, though they can be preset to follow orders before they are activated. Said users do not have to be present for the Stands to do anything, as these Stands have a range that is close to infinite, with no diminish in power relative to the distance from their user. The user will not receive any damage if the Stand takes any damage, (in most cases). As an offset, since they are remotely controlled, automated Stands often lack precision and are clumsy compared to normal Stands.1 Other Types Substance Assimilation Type, or bound Stands, are bound to material objects, such as vehicles or dolls. Said Stands, if bound to fluid objects, may even be intangible. These Stands can be seen by ordinary humans. Although most of them vary in terms of statistics, they commonly have medium-to-no development potential due to these Stands only being able to manipulate the object they are bound to. They typically rank A in durability, because they often do not take damage themselves, sometimes having self regenerating ability; or because their ability is always active, being bound to objects. Tool Stands are Stands that take the form of an object, used as a weapon, it is up to the User to directly wield/hold them. They may look like Bound Stands but it’s the User that calls them, and they aren’t visible to non-Stand Users. Damaging them won’t wound the User. They have high durability and low potential for the same reasons as Bound Stands. Integrated Stands are Stands which give the User additional abilities. As the name suggest, they are actually integrated to their User’s body. The Stand User uses the ability without the Stand itself appearing corporeally. As such the Stand itself is never seen. They have high durability since the ability is basically always active. Wearable Type Stands cover their user like armor, defending them along with the use of their abilities. Because they are bound to their user, their range is often short, though depending on the Stand they may be able to use projectile attacks. Parameters Stand Parameters, or Stand Statistics are a Stand's total abilities and faculties measured and categorized by six statistics: Destructive power, speed, range, durability/staying, precision, and developmental potential/learning. * Destructive Power Measures the Stand's strength and ability to cause destruction (physical injury or collateral environmental damage) in a given period of time. Not only limited to brute force, but also to its abilities combined. * Speed Measures the Stand's agility and reflexes as well as performance speed. * Range: Measures a compromise of the Stand's range of manifestation, range of ability influence, and spatial mobility. * Durability/Staying Measures the Stand's endurance and level of susceptibility to damage and attacks. This category may also gauge the effectiveness of their power's ability of binding toward physical objects. * Precision Measures the Stand's accuracy and range of influence/effect of their abilities to specified targets. * Development Potential/Learning Measures the Stand's possible functions, utilization of its abilities and powers, and capacity to improve its overall capabilities. Each statistic is ranked from A to E; though rankings of None and Infinite are also possible. Rankings are defined as follows: : A: Excellent : B: Good : C: Same level as a normal human : D: Weak : E: Very Weak To elaborate on the Developmental Potential attribute, it decreases in rank as the user masters his or her Stand. For example, Jotaro Kujo's Star Platinum is Rank A in Developmental Potential during Stardust Crusaders, but is given Rank C during Stone Ocean, as Jotaro has had many years to hone Star Platinum's power. However, Rank C implies that all of Star Platinum's possible abilities and functions still had not been discovered or figured out by that time. For a Stand to gain an E-Ranking, it means that either their Stand user discovered all of their Stand's abilities, or the Stand came with very few abilities and thus cannot grow any more than it has.